A leg extension machine used to work the muscles of the lower body. Source: George Stepanek. Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada have determined that muscle fatigue and not the amount of weight involved is the critical factor ...
Salamanders as an Ecological Indicator
The world’s smallest salamander, pictured here next to a dime, is found in Georgia. (photo courtesy UGA) The California Tiger Salamander is on the verge of extinction (photo courtesy National Geographic Society) Ranging from the tiny Patch-Nosed Salamander with adults ...
Laurie O’Keefe-Ant Insect Society
The profession of medical and biological illustration is an elite one, with very few members. Of those at the top of their game is Laurie O’Keefe, who created the image featured this week, “Ant Insect Society.” Ms. O’Keefe has a ...
Herpes Virus Holds New Hope for Gene Therapy
Peter O’Hare PhD – Research Director Protein Trafficking and Gene Regulation Laboratory – Marie Curie Institute Scientists at the Marie Curie Institute in Surrey, England have developed a method of disbursement of therapeutic genetic material via fusion to the herpes ...
Canine Genome Research
Researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and elsewhere determined that a relatively small number of DNA regions control a large portion of the physical differences between various breeds of dogs. The scientists hope that further study of these ...
The Next Step in Evolution?
Scientist from Radboud University, the Netherlands, recently published an article describing a new evolutionary model. While this study relies on Darwin’s familiar writings, this approach differs by suggesting a new hierarchy, allowing scientists to partially predict the next step in ...
RNA Used to Reprogram Cells
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts developed a new method for reprogramming human skin cells into other cells. Their method delivers the necessary genes using messenger RNA instead of the viruses currently used in skin cell ...
Insights on Healthy Aging
Researchers from Harvard University have uncovered a biological mechanism that affects aging greatly. Their study shows that caloric restriction and exercise delay some of the debilitating effects of aging by rejuvenating the connections between nerves and the muscles that they ...
New Dinosaurs Discovered
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Utah Geological Survey in Salt Lake City discovered and classified the skeletons of two new species of dinosaurs. Dated to the Early Cretaceous Epoch (approximately 145.5 to 99.6 million years ...
Starvation Keeps Sleep – Deprived Fly Brain Sharp
A team of researchers from Washington University, St. Louis, found that starvation allows the need for nourishment to push aside the need for sleep. Their study, conducted on fruit flies, shows that while long-term deprivation of food leads to death, ...